Vegetarian Lentil Stew Recipes

Haleem is one of my husband Lulu's many favorite dishes. It has a velvety consistency and is usually made of pearled wheat germ (sometimes with barley as well), stewed meat (chicken, goat meat or beef shanks), five varieties of lentils and various spices. Since Lulu and his dad are vegetarians, I prepare it meat-free (so appropriate for our Meatless Mondays!). The thick lentil stew is served piping hot with fresh ginger cut into thin matchsticks, daikon pieces, fresh mint (sometimes with dill also), chopped chiles, lime wedges and a garnish of crispy fried onions.

It used to be a labor-intensive task to turn the mixture into a thick paste, but these days a food processor makes it easy breezy. Thank you so much to Phoopi (Daddy's sister) who taught me this wonderful dish, despite her extremely busy schedule. Lulu is so excited he wants to eat vegetarian haleem everyday!